The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Ribes nigrum named ‘Ben Chaska’ and is hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Ben Chaska’. ‘Ben Chaska’ represents a new cultivar of black currant grown for fruit production.
‘The new cultivar was derived from a controlled breeding program by the Inventor in Invergowrie, Scotland. The Inventor made a cross in 1984 between an unnamed proprietary plant in the Inventor's breeding program, reference no. SCRI P10/9/20, as the female parent and ‘Polar’ (not patented) as the male parent. The Inventor selected ‘Ben Chaska’, code no. SCRI D16/6/54, in 1986 as a single unique plant amongst the seedlings that resulted from the above cross.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished under direction of the Inventor by hardwood cuttings in Dundee, Scotland in 1990. Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar has shown that the unique features are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.